By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

 SALISBURY — A Davidson County lineup depleted by beach trips didn’t have much of a chance against Rowan County right-hander Logan Dyer.

Dyer pitched Rowan to a routine 6-1 victory in the non0-division game at Newman Park on Thursday.

Dyer, a second baseman/relief pitcher for the ER Mustangs, was in charge for five innings. Davidson County scored a run against him in the third with the assistance of Rowan’s only error.

Dyer is a Catawba College commit, although he’s not one that Rowan County American Legion baseball coach Jim Gantt can comment about yet, since Dyer still has a year of high school ball left at East Rowan.

Justin Taylor, who answers to JT, belted another homer, his team-leading fourth, in the bottom of the fourth. Taylor also leads Rowan County in stolen bases, doubles, runs and RBIs, and he’s a solid lead-off man who understands the value of a walk, especially to start an inning.

Most Rowan baseball fans had not heard of Taylor when the season started. He’s an 18-year-old  from Salisbury. He began his high school career with coach Mike Herndon and the Salisbury Hornets, but then he played at Concord Academy and for the Combine Academy in Lincolnton, where he got to play 43 games as a senior in 2023.

Taylor has been a summer showcase player with the Dirtbags, but he elected to try American Legion ball for the first time this summer. Legion doesn’t draw the scouts that the top showcase programs do, but that’s not a big deal at  this point for Taylor. He committed very early in his high school career to North Carolina A&T — he wowed the Aggies when they saw him at a camp — and he is now a signee who will start classes this fall.

Taylor had other options this summer, including wood bat teams, but he wanted to experience Legion baseball and Coach Gantt and the crowds at Newman Park. He wanted to give Rowan fans a chance to see him play shortstop — defense has always been considered his strong suit.

So he’s playing with the guys from East and West and Carson.

Taylor has not only fit in with some of the county’s better players, he’s stood out. He’s made a good defense better and a good offense better. Rowan (18-2) has won nine games in a row, including four recently against a pretty high-powered field in Shelby.

Rowan scored three times in the bottom of the first to put Davidson County in a hole. Aiden Schenck hit a sacrifice fly. Morgan Padgett doubled home a run, and Hayden Simmerson singled in a run. Then Dyer went to work.

When Davidson got on the board in the third, Rowan got that run back right away, then added two more in the fourth on Taylor’s homer and a run-scoring double by Simmerson.

Luke Graham had three of Rowan’s 10 hits and scored two runs. Taylor scored two. Schenck and Simmerson knocked in two.

Alex Hagler pitched the sixth, while Padgett handled the seventh for Rowan County.

Randolph County, which has a very stout team, will play Rowan at Newman Park on Friday at 7 p.m. The teams have split two games so far.

Randolph beat Wayne County 6-4 on Thursday after handling Mocksville 8-2 on Wednesday.

 

Davidson County     001    000  0   — 1    5   1

Rowan County         301    200    x  — 6   10   1

W  — Dyer (1-0).

HR — JT Taylor (4).